Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Carter’s post yesterday on the 2004 Passat 1.8T Variant got me thinking about rather ordinary German estate vehicles. That Passat was truly a nice find, as it is rare you find a B5 or B5.5 Passat in such great nick. Lightning has struck twice this week it seems, as I’ve come across this tidy 2002 BMW 325xi Touring for sale in Oregon. While it’s not a manual, for most, the automatic would do just fine for a small family hauler.
On my last visit home to Philadelphia, I happened to stop by and peruse the lot at Porsche of Bucks County in Warrington, Pennsylvania. For those familiar with the area, you may remember this dealer as Holbert’s Porsche-Audi-VW. Bob Holbert, a native of Warrington and Porsche race car driver in the 1950s and 1960s, founded this dealership in 1954. This would be one of the first Porsche dealers in the United States. Much like importer Max Hoffman, Holbert had a large role in shaping Porsche’s direction and success in the US market. His son Al also raced Porsches, winning Sebring in 1976 and 1981. He also ran the dealership for a time and was President of Porsche Motorsports North America. Sadly, Al met his fate in a plane crash in 1988, with his brother Larry taking over management of the dealership until being bought out in 2010 by a larger conglomerate of dealers.
In addition to a few of Holbert’s racing cars hanging around the showroom, the family also had a hand in a bit of tuning. Born out of a need to fit wider tires on race dedicated vehicles, a fiberglass kit was devised to provide the 924 Turbo a bit more wiggle room for larger rubber and in the process, giving it a bit more of an aggressive stance. Brian, a long-time contributor of ours, came across this 1981 Porsche 924 Turbo for sale in the Philadelphia area wears that very kit devised by Holbert. While not concours quality, this is a driver that wears a very nice patina and has a bit of that Martini Racing livery we all know and love.
What a difference a year can make! In 1989, for the 930’s final year, Porsche equipped its iconic model with a 5-speed manual transmission for the first time. Enthusiasts had long wondered why Porsche had been so persistent in continuing to use a 4-speed manual, but they needed wonder no longer. Now 25 years down the road Porsche’s decision has rendered that single year of the 930 as an extremely valuable commodity, easily surpassing the values of the model years that immediately preceded it. As a quick case-in-point: the starting bid for this auction is pegged right around the point at which we might expect to see an ’86-’88 930 sell. The BIN price is quite a bit higher. The example we see here is a Marine Blue 1989 Porsche 930 Cabriolet, located in South Carolina, with a Linen leather interior and 50,200 miles on it. For someone looking for that combination of classic 911 style, open-top motoring, and pulse-quickening performance a 930 Cabriolet is sure to provide an ample amount of excitement and driving joy.
Frequent commenters and readers of these pages will have a passing familiarity with the car seen here as it comes to us by way of our reader Howard, who has decided to test the waters with his Cassis Red over Burgundy 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa. We have heard about this car and it is nice to finally see it. Cassis Red is a rare color that is absolutely beautiful and I have previously featured a Cassis Red 930 Coupe, remarking in that feature that the color somewhat stood in opposition to the character of the 930 itself. I think here, on a Carrera Targa, the color works perfectly, though I am slightly biased as I love lighter colored Targas in general. I also really like the look with the larger Lindsey Fuchs wheels, but for those who prefer the original appearance the original wheels can be included in the sale. With around 65K miles there’s certainly a ton of life left in it too.
Carter’s post on the Euro market Mercedes-Benz 450SLC had me thinking it was time to revisit a favorite Mercedes of mine. In the wake of rising R107 SL prices, values for its hardtop sibling, the SLC have stayed relatively flat. We have, though, seen a few very choice examples over the past couple years, this low mileage 380SLC being one of them. Model year 1981 would be the last year for the SLC, with the introduction of the 3.8 liter V8 and 3-speed automatic. A total of 3,789 were built, which is rather impressive for just one year. This would be the only four-place Mercedes coupe based on an SL chassis, as the following model year would see the introduction of the much more popular C126 SEC.
